The Yearly Goal Setting Practice I Come Back to Every Year | How I do my yearly goal setting

Yearly Goal Setting

I’m not sure if it’s because I have an early January birthday, but I’ve always loved setting goals and intentions (and then crossing them off my list!). Over the years, I’ve refined a process that works for me and I want to share it with you. Yearly goal setting doesn’t have to feel overwhelming or rigid. It can be simple, reflective, and motivating.

This is how I've been setting my intentions over the past years, and how you can too.

How

Step 1: Gather a few items

You’ll need:

• Your calendar (or wherever you track events from the past year)

• A piece of paper and a pen or a digital tracker like Notion (if that’s your preference)

I personally use Notion so I can track my goals year over year and look back on what I wrote in previous years. But I later write my goals down on a piece of paper so I can see them each day.

Step 2: Create two columns

On your paper, draw a line down the middle to create two columns:

• Left side: Losses

• Right side: Wins

Step 3: Reflect month by month

Go through the past year month by month and write down your wins and losses.

For example, for me:

• Losses:

  • I only read three books last year (my goal was one book a month).

  • I didn’t practice or play tennis as much as I wanted.

• Wins:

  • I hosted a sold-out retreat in Guatemala.

  • Yoga in the Park grew from last year, with over 80 people attending our final class.

No judgments, just honest reflection.

Step 4: Ask yourself these questions

Once everything is written down, reflect on your list and ask:

• Which 20% of my wins had the greatest positive impact on my life?

• Which 20% of my losses had the greatest negative impact on my life?

• What is one amazing thing I want to happen this year? (This becomes your North Star.)

Notice any themes or patterns that show up.

Step 5: Write three goals for the year

From your reflections, write three goals for the year.

These goals should feel:

• Big enough to be slightly scary

• Achievable enough that you truly believe you can reach them

Step 6: Break each goal into achievements

For each goal, ask yourself:

• What specific achievements would I need to reach throughout the year to make this happen?

These should be tangible, realistic milestones, not vague ideas.

Step 7: Identify obstacles and solutions

Under each goal, brainstorm:

• 1-2 potential obstacles

• A solution for each obstacle

If you have more goals you want to work on, feel free to repeat this process.

Putting It Into Effect

Place your goals somewhere you’ll see them every day.

If any goals are tied to specific dates, set reminders a few weeks or a month in advance to check in:

• Are you on track?

• Do you need to adjust anything?

If you’re more visually inclined, you can also create a simple collage or vision board with one image representing each goal. I use freeform because its fast and easy.

Final Thoughts

I’ve been using some version of this exercise for a few years, and I’ve made small adaptions over time. This is what’s working for me right now. It may take a bit of trial and error to figure out how to set the right goals for you, and that’s okay.

You may also need to adjust your goals over the year. Don't worry, that’s part of the process.

I truly believe that intentionally reflecting on the past year and consciously setting goals helps embed them into your subconscious which makes you more likely to notice opportunities and take aligned action.

If you try this exercise, I’d love to hear how it goes and what you discover.